Insider Selling: Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) COO Sells 837 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Meta COO Javier Olivan sold 837 shares on June 1 at an average price of $629.29, bringing in about $526,716. The transaction was disclosed in an SEC filing and was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.
• Following the sale, Olivan held 12,986 Meta shares valued at roughly $8.17 million, reflecting a 6.06% reduction in his ownership stake. The article also notes several other recent insider sales by Olivan in May and early June.
• Meta’s stock was trading higher around $622.98, and the company continues to draw support from strong recent earnings, a newly announced quarterly dividend, and generally bullish analyst ratings with a consensus Moderate Buy target of $840.60.

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) COO Javier Olivan sold 837 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $629.29, for a total value of $526,715.73. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 12,986 shares in the company, valued at $8,171,959.94. The trade was a 6.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Javier Olivan also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, June 1st, Javier Olivan sold 629 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $629.29, for a total value of $395,823.41.
• On Tuesday, May 26th, Javier Olivan sold 629 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $608.98, for a total value of $383,048.42.
• On Tuesday, May 26th, Javier Olivan sold 837 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $608.98, for a total transaction of $509,716.26.
• On Monday, May 18th, Javier Olivan sold 629 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $609.35, for a total value of $383,281.15.
• On Monday, May 18th, Javier Olivan sold 837 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $609.35, for a total value of $510,025.95.
• On Monday, May 11th, Javier Olivan sold 629 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $604.57, for a total value of $380,274.53.
• On Monday, May 11th, Javier Olivan sold 926 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $604.57, for a total value of $559,831.82.
• On Monday, May 4th, Javier Olivan sold 629 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $607.74, for a total value of $382,268.46.
• On Monday, May 4th, Javier Olivan sold 926 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $607.74, for a total value of $562,767.24.
• On Monday, April 27th, Javier Olivan sold 926 shares of Meta Platforms stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $670.84, for a total value of $621,197.84.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

NASDAQ META traded up $25.35 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $622.98. The company had a trading volume of 22,950,793 shares, compared to its average volume of 14,649,717. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52 week low of $520.26 and a 52 week high of $796.25. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $618.18 and a 200 day simple moving average of $636.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a current ratio of 2.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.58 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.65, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.23.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The social networking company reported $10.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.67 by $3.77. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 36.93% and a net margin of 32.84%.The firm had revenue of $56.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $55.56 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $6.43 EPS. The company's revenue was up 33.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 25th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.525 per share. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.63%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. KeyCorp reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $760.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $810.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Monday. Truist Financial decreased their price target on Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $840.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $805.00 to $780.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Wolfe Research reduced their target price on Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $800.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have given a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Meta Platforms currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $840.60.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Meta launched an enterprise-focused AI “business agent” designed to help companies handle customer inquiries, recommend products, book appointments, and automate daily operations across WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram. Investors see this as a new subscription-like revenue opportunity beyond ads. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage from multiple outlets suggested Meta’s AI agent strategy could expand into the business market and help diversify revenue, reinforcing the bull case that the company can monetize AI more effectively. CNBC article
• Positive Sentiment: Areté Research upgraded Meta Platforms (META) from hold to strong-buy and set a $735 target, adding to the favorable analyst tone around the stock. Finviz reference
• Positive Sentiment: Meta also won a partial legal victory in Europe after a court backed its challenge to the EU’s “gatekeeper” designation for Marketplace, which could reduce regulatory pressure on part of the business. Reuters article
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta’s metaverse unit saw another management change, with Metaverse Products Group lead Gabriel Aul quietly leaving and being replaced by Saxs Persson. This is more of an internal reshuffle than a clear stock catalyst. Business Insider article
• Negative Sentiment: Reuters reported that a high-profile hack exposed weaknesses in Meta’s AI support chatbot, highlighting security risks as the company automates sensitive account functions. Reuters article
• Negative Sentiment: State attorneys general also urged a court to revive antitrust claims against Meta, keeping regulatory and legal overhangs in the background. MediaPost article

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Meta Platforms

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in META. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 34.2% during the third quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 52,252 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $38,373,000 after purchasing an additional 13,311 shares in the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 15.7% during the fourth quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 133,798 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $88,319,000 after purchasing an additional 18,169 shares in the last quarter. Becker Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 5.0% during the third quarter. Becker Capital Management Inc. now owns 35,052 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $25,741,000 after purchasing an additional 1,657 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co. boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Diversified Trust Co. now owns 84,059 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $55,487,000 after purchasing an additional 3,336 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cramer Rosenthal Mcglynn LLC boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 16.2% during the third quarter. Cramer Rosenthal Mcglynn LLC now owns 6,933 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $5,091,000 after purchasing an additional 968 shares in the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms, Inc NASDAQ: META, formerly Facebook, Inc, is a global technology company best known for building social networking services and immersive computing platforms. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Menlo Park, California, the company operates a family of consumer-facing products and services that connect users, creators and businesses. In October 2021 the company rebranded as Meta to reflect an expanded strategic focus on augmented and virtual reality technologies alongside its social media businesses.

Meta's core consumer products include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and community building across mobile and desktop devices.

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